Samantha E. Stepleton

Background

About Samantha E. Stepleton

Description I work, as I live. With curiosity, interest, and joy. I come from a big family with 7 siblings, as one of the older children, I am a natural problem solver and roadblock remover. I learned at a young age to find a way around difficult situations and challenges, and with age and life experience, have honed these skills, adding maturity and purpose to what I do. In my professional life, I find work that I can believe in and that gives me purpose. Whether working in inner city Chicago, to starting a company in Mexico to connect artisans to a larger marketplace or becoming Director of Services for a film industry charity in Los Angeles, I pour myself into the work, finding ways to connect people to the services or market they need. I am passionate about collaboration and working with teams to create more streamlined services, broaden the reach, and connect marginalized people to what they need. From a young age, I was driven to help people reach their potential. This need came was born out of a chaotic childhood and has been a driving theme in my life. While working in Chicago, I saw in our systems children with incredible talent but with very little structure to see them through the challenges of childhood and young adulthood. Over the last seven years, I have attended numerous trainings focused on supporting people who have survived traumatic childhoods. I am completely dedicated and passionate about this work. It is the missing piece to understanding many of the social problems and issues we see in our culture. These trainings have helped me heal myself, and give me the tools I need to help those with whom I work. Understanding the neuroscience behind the brain, how shame limits our ability to respond and live freely, and how trauma, not only changes pathways to the brain, but how in the process we create self-limiting coping strategies that can ruin and derail, even the brightest of us. Besides being adaptable, I improve the system and place where I land. I see the need, and move towards either creation or fuller support for what already exists. I am supportive by nature and surround myself with supportive people. I look for work environments that are collaborative, engaged in purpose, and with leaders who are emotionally intelligent.